Phase II implementation of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) during November 2021 to 31 March 2022, serves as a mass public employment intervention, that is focusing on skilling the youth and the schools used as the channel by which the youth can access skills. It is envisaged that +/- 287,000 employment opportunities for youth between the ages of 18 to 35-year-olds will be provided. The main drive of the PYEI is in line with the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020, and will continue to address poverty alleviation; mass employment; skilling of youth; reduction of youth unemployment; creation of social values; and the provision of decent job opportunities. Lastly, as the education sector, through this initiative the following will be addressed: Education Assistants in classrooms are to support teaching and learning and assist teachers in integrating ICT in classrooms, and through Reading Champions, to address reading and literacy in schools. Through the youth placed as Child and Youth Care Workers, the psychosocial challenges that learners might be going through will be addressed.
The DBE deployed officials across Branches to provide monitoring, oversight and support to Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) as the PYEI is in its initial phase of implementation. The monitoring is divided into four stages. The first phase was focused on planning that PEDs were undertaking. This monitoring was concluded in October 2021, and all PEDs were found to be ready to implement the project. The monitoring revealed that leadership in all provinces have endorsed the project and have initiated support to the project teams. The support was provided as committees at provincial and district level and even circuits were roped in. The entire sector is supporting and implementing the project. The second phase of monitoring includes visits to provinces, districts and schools to assess planning, recruitment and processes that include interviews, orientation and training.
Most schools have concluded their recruitment process and the contracting of youth, whilst there are a few schools in each province that are still finalising their recruitment processes. The Assistants assumed duty on 2 November 2021, and the school leadership is looking forward to the value that would be added in reducing the administrative overload of teachers in preparing the classrooms for teaching and learning, supporting learners during lessons whilst gaining workplace experience in the learning and teaching environment. The finding also indicates that in phase II of the project the schools are better prepared and have received support from the DBE, PEDs, Districts and Circuits. In addition, the principals have indicated that they appreciate the SA Youth mobi on-line application process, as it removes the blame from the schools in terms of who is appointed. The schools are also looking forward to the online data management system (DMS) that will ease the pressures of reporting on the performance of youth, as well as time and attendance.
It is envisaged that the programme will have a visible impact in schools, specifically teaching and learning and families where an income of R3,817.44 monthly will be provided (amounts to +/- R19,000 in five months and compulsory trainings that are provided at no cost to the youth), activating economic activities around more than 23,000 public schools.
These monitoring visits by DBE officials to the various schools will continue until 12 November 2021, providing motivation and full support to the initiative by communities and education stakeholders.
The schools provided the initial orientation workshop on school ethos through School Management Teams. Under guidance of the District and Circuit Official, the schools (SGB) finalised the contractual agreements with the youth. A compulsory orientation is also attended, and in some schools the youth have already received their certificates of attendance for the DBE Generic Orientation, the SOP on COVID Protocols and National School Safety Framework.
Training will be prioritised from November 2021 to January 2022 to ensure that the youth is equipped to provide the support required by the schools, teachers and learners. The next monitoring will be conducted at the end of January and beginning of February by the Project Team. The aim is to review the performance of youth in schools. The last monitoring is planned for last week of March 2022, to evaluate the value added by Assistants in schools and in teaching and learning.